


Promise to the Universe

by LilSkiddy



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Din Djarin Needs a Hug, Guilt, M/M, Minor Character Death, Non-Sexual Slavery, Only slight canon divergence, Slavery, The Mandalorian (TV) Season 2, This is all from Din's POV, Young Din Djarin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:15:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29647722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilSkiddy/pseuds/LilSkiddy
Summary: After the death of his parents, young Din Djarin had been captured by slavers. Among the slaves, he met Cobb Vanth, and the two became best friends. When Cobb found a way to free Din of his bonds, Din promised he would come back and save Cobb.It has been years since then, and Din never forgot Cobb, but he never went back for him. Now, as he holds Grogu for the last time, he remembers his promise to the universe.
Relationships: Din Djarin & Cobb Vanth, Din Djarin/Cobb Vanth
Comments: 23
Kudos: 51





	1. Chapter 1

As far as Din was concerned, his entire world had shattered. First his clan, then his ship, his home, and now his son, all gone. The only comfort he found as he stood on the deck of the imperial star destroyer was that Grogu was safe, and that was because of him. For once, he had helped instead of hunted, saved a life instead of destroyed one. 

-

Letting Grogu go had been one of the hardest losses he has endured. 

His mind flashed back to his childhood where he had experienced his first loss: the last glimpse of his father’s face as the heavy cellar doors closed, and then the deafening explosion that claimed the lives of his parents. 

Another memory blinked through his mind. This was one of whips and cuffs and harsh hands that did everything they could to break his spirit. In these years, Din had lost his freedom. In the wreckage of his home planet, scavengers had carted away anything valuable and that included him. With no one to claim him, Din was taken by slavers. His only saving grace was the kind slave boy who protected him through it all. There were only a few children their age among all the slaves in this sector, and the two boys clung to each other for comfort and protection for years. The Boy had been the one who had even given up his own chances of escape so that Din could get out of slavery. 

A Mandalorian had come with the intention to liberate all of the enslaved children. When the slavers made it so only one child would make it out, Cobb Vanth did everything he could to make sure Din was the one to go.

Din had gained his freedom back and even found a new family amongst the Mandalorians, but even that came with a loss. 

Din lost his best friend. 

Din had promised Cobb that he would come back for him. He spent the next 20 years with one goal in mind as he trained to be a Mandalorian: Pay it back. Save Cobb. 

He had spent years with that goal in mind, and he always intended to make good on that promise. But the universe seemed to be hellbent on not letting Din have what he wanted. The clan needed help and he felt honor-bound to provide for them while they struggled to survive. 

So he became a bounty hunter, and while he was scouting the outer rim for his targets, he always kept an eye out for any sign of his old friend or the slavers who had held them captive as children. But they always turned into dead ends. The promise he made to save Cobb became a nagging thought in the back of his mind. 

It would always resurface whenever Din felt proud of his accomplishments or prowess as a warrior, reminding him that as much as he grew, it wasn’t enough. You call yourself a mighty warrior. You, who had to be saved by another. And now you cannot even bring yourself to save him.

And then the universe gave him the child.

Part of him felt as if his mission to reunite the child with his own kind was a trade the universe had made with him. As if saying that if Din would not fulfill his promise to Cobb, it would give him no choice but to promise himself to help another lifeform. 

And Din was at peace with that, happy even. He would complete this mission, he would hold to this promise. He poured every ounce of love and determination he had been holding back for Cobb into the child. 

But oh, how the universe enjoyed meddling with even that. 

Din was skeptical when he heard of a Mandalorian being all the way out on Tatooine in a little nothing town like Mos Pelgo. Even as he entered the dusty bar, he had his doubts. A Mandalorian? Marshal of this place?

Suddenly, the man in question appeared in the doorway, and Din could feel the confidence in his stance and the way he walked. Finally, a solid lead. Din was almost relieved. Almost.

When he removed his helmet, proving himself a false Mandalorian, Din felt something ache inside his chest. Something about that face was all too familiar for his liking. He needed to stay focused if things got ugly. This was a man who knew that he was capable of putting up a fight, even against someone like Din.

“Who are you?” Din had asked him.

“I’m the Marshal of Mos Pelgo,” the silver-haired man replied as he tipped his glass of spochka towards Din.

There was a twinkle in his eyes and confidence to the word Marshal as it passed the man's lips. Like he was proud of the title and preferred it to his own name. Din could imagine that on a harsh planet like Tatooine, you had to work hard to keep that title and still make it to the age of the man in front of him. 

Throughout the entire exchange in the cantina, Din felt the ache of familiarity in his chest and in his mind. Beneath all of the silvery gray hair and scruffy stubble and rough skin from years exposed to the sand and suns, there was something there. The way the man spoke, the way he moved, even the wrinkle in his eyes when he smirked was some form of ghostly memory to Din.

Even the way his fingers twitched at the ready for the inevitable shootout struck Din as something he just knew.

Din was able to ignore that feeling for the most part. This was still a pretender wearing his people’s armor. If he had to, he would kill to get it back. This was the way.

All of that was interrupted by the rumble of the ground and the sounds of the entire world shaking. The two armored men stepped outside the cantina and witnessed the Krayt Dragon swallow a bantha like it was nothing and then disappear into the sand again. Both men felt the tension between them shift, and Din knew that he was in for a ride here in Mos Pelgo.

“Maybe we can work something out.”

Din was hoping intimidation alone would have made the man surrender the armor. He hadn’t wanted to peel this man’s body out of the armor, if not for the ache in his chest than for the fact that it seemed like this town needed a man like him. So he agreed to stay and help.

If Din had refused, if he had said no and simply took the armor by force and left, then maybe he wouldn’t have been dealt the blow that would come next.

“What’s your name anyway, stranger?” The Marshal had asked as they both packed their speeder bikes for the ride out to the Dragon’s lair.

Din kept silent. He didn’t need to be friendly with this guy to complete this deal. So he simply turned his head to let the dark visor rest its gaze on the Marshal. That usually worked to quell any unwanted conversations. 

Apparently, this guy was different. He just smirked again and continued talking. 

“Reckon we should at least know in case one of us doesn’t make it out. Most folks just call me Marshal, but the name’s Cobb Vanth.”

Din froze.

Thank the stars he had just strapped the child into the side holster or otherwise he might have dropped him out of shock. 

That wasn’t possible. Out of all the planets, all the backwater towns, all the billions of people in the galaxy, it couldn’t be here. 

It couldn’t be him.

Din was broken out of his stupor by the sound of the Marshal’s… by the sound of Cobb’s voice. He hadn’t realized how quiet it had been until Cobb cleared his throat. How long had Din just been standing there?

“S’pose Mandalorians don’t even give out their names, then.” Cobb sounded disappointed, sad almost.

Din had never considered intentionally removing his helmet, but this would be the first time he ever wanted to.

The ride out of Mos Pelgo was filled with nothing but the rumble of the bike engines. Din was still unable to process what had just happened. He was moving on muscle memory alone. Mount the bike, start the engine, follow the trail of dust ahead of him. 

Suddenly, Cobb dropped in beside him and started speaking again. “You don’t know what it was like, what this town went through.” 

Cobb dove into the story of how he attained the armor. He punctuated every sentence with a certain finality, like he was trying to convince Din that his having the armor was justified.

The thing was, Din didn’t need convincing. Cobb was a survivor, a protector. He never acted out of personal gain. That part of him hadn’t changed. It was all the things that had changed that sent that wave of guilt Din had felt pinch his brain for years to all come crashing down on him. 

Cobb was alive but what must he have gone through to get to that point? How long was he held captive by the slavers? What did they do to him for all those years Din had been gone? Would he have been able to avoid all of this if Din wasn’t such a failure and had come back for him as soon as he was able? Would Cobb even want to see him now? Stars, he would probably hate him if he knew it was Din behind the beskar riding next to him. 

It was almost too much. His priority was to the child, he knew that. But his soft heart had gotten him in way over his cool head. Now both head and heart were at war with each other over what to do. 

On one hand, he could call the deal off and just leave, look for other Mandalorians elsewhere. If finding Cobb on accident had affected him so much already then who knows what will happen if things go on like this. 

On the other hand, if he did call the deal off, Cobb would definitely be suspicious. A Mandalorian doesn’t break their word, anyone who had heard of them knew that. And with how Din was ready to shoot Cobb for the armor before they had struck a deal, Cobb would definitely find it strange if he all of a sudden wasn’t interested in getting the armor back. Cobb would ask why, and Din wouldn’t have the strength to answer.

No, there was only one option. Din had to see this through. He would not reveal himself to Cobb, but he would do everything he could to help him now. It could never make up for the years he never came back for Cobb, but it was still something.

Din would complete his mission to find the child’s people, and he would complete this mission to rid the people of Mos Pelgo of the dragon. 

An old promise never kept leading to a new one that Din must fulfill, or die trying.

-

Din thought back to months ago on Tatooine. He remembered the pain he had felt upon seeing Cobb. Seeing him stand tall and strong and proud even as he thought he was going to die. He should have been happy for him. Cobb was a free man and had become a warrior in his own right. But all Din felt was guilt. 

Cobb shouldn’t have had to endure all he did just to get to that point. Din should have come for him years ago. 

Those feelings had suffocated Din. His guilt and grief were so great that he was ready to die in the belly of the dragon if it meant making it up to Cobb, even if the man himself would never know.

Din never had the courage to let him know.

But now, he felt different. The guilt never went away, it probably never will, but Din felt an odd clarity settle over his mind as he stared at the spot where Grogu once stood. 

He had watched the Jedi leave with his son, and he was okay. Of course his heart stung with the pain of seeing another loved one leave his life, but this one was different. This wasn’t just an end, it marked a new beginning. A new beginning for the child, and a new beginning for Din.

He wanted that with Cobb, too. He wanted to tell him everything. He wanted to put an end to this pain that he had been carrying with him for years.

And if Cobb was angry and hated him, then Din would be okay with that. 

He watched as Cara herded the defeated Gideon off the bridge and down towards the shuttle bay. Koska was helping Bo Katan up and supported her side as the two followed after Cara. The blaster wound Bo had received was not fatal, but still debilitating enough that she was no longer in any shape to fight, let alone challenge Din to the Darksaber.

Ah yes, the dark saber. The hilt suddenly felt heavy in his hand, but Din quickly steeled himself and hooked the blade to his belt. Another promise thrust upon him by the universe. He would deal with this one in time, too, that he was sure of. But he had another to fulfill before that.

Din thought again of the child, of Grogu, and he smiled. Din may have brought him to who he belongs with, but Grogu had helped Din and given him courage in ways he could never have imagined. He would be carrying that courage with him on his next journey.

Fennec came up to Din after everyone else had left the bridge. “So, what will you do now?” Her voice was softer than usual, if ever so slightly. It still held the cold indifference she had trained into it as a bounty hunter, but Din had learned to pick up on subtle changes in people. Fennec may put on a lot of bravado, but she was a softy at heart. Much like Din.

He sighed deeply before responding.

“I need to get to Tatooine. I have some unfinished business there.”

He heard Fennec chuckle beside him and he looked over at her. She had a smirk play at her lips as she spoke.

“I’ll see if Boba and I can give you a ride. We’ve got some unfinished business on Tatooine to tend to as well.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Din makes it back to Tatooine, but he needs a little bit of encouragement from new friends before he can face an old one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was only supposed to be two chapters, but I felt like the section in between Din deciding to go talk to Cobb and their actual upcoming conversation needed some build-up and room to breathe. So, another chapter is coming after this one with the resolution. YAY  
> Mando'a translations provided in End Notes.

Boba and Fennec had offered to drop him off right outside of Mos Pelgo, but Din was already in a mild panic as they neared the planet. Charging towards his mistakes rather than fighting against them was something new, something terrifying. He needed a cushion, something familiar. Din told Boba to head for Mos Eisley spaceport and land in Hangar 3-5. 

It was the middle of the night when they landed in Peli’s hangar. Din saw a light on in the inner window and a curly head of hair pop out of the corner. He felt tears spring into his eyes at the familiar lifeform. He didn’t expect seeing Peli to stir up so many emotions. 

As he walked down the bay doors of Slave-I, he heard Boba call his name behind him. 

Din turned his now helmeted gaze towards the man. Both stared at each other through the dark gleam of their visors. Boba continued.

“Whatever path you choose from here, know that you can count on me as a brother in arms.”

Boba then raised his vambrace towards him. Din couldn’t help the small smile that pulled at the corners of his mouth. He tapped his own vambrace to Boba’s as a show of camaraderie, of brotherhood, of gratitude. 

“Vor entye, ner vod,” he responded. He rarely used Mando’a, but it felt right when talking to Boba.

“Ret'urcye mhi, little brother. And remember,verd ori'shya beskar'gam.” And with that, Boba turned and walked back to the cockpit.

Din had never heard that expression growing up in the Watch. It contradicted the very basis of his tribe’s traditions. But Boba had said it with such certainty that Din was inclined to let the words ring in his mind a bit longer.

A warrior is more than his armor.

Din felt just the opposite. He didn’t feel like he was anything anymore. But he couldn’t take back what he had done, so he had no other choice but to try to become more from here on out. 

The Slave-I pulled away, heading to stars-know-where, and Din prepared to face the scariest thing to date. An angry hangar owner and her three ornery droids.

“Now wait just a minute, you shiny metal asshole!” Peli barked at him. 

“Peli,” Din said as calmly as possible.

“You can’t just waltz up in some random pre-empire rustbucket and then walk into my hangar like you own the place with no explanation.”

“Peli,” 

“What’s the big idea anyway? And where’s my little green womp-rat?”

“Peli!”

Peli stopped but shot him the dirtiest excuse me? look Din had ever received. He didn’t mean to raise his voice, but the bombardment of questions was too much. He sighed and held up his hands in surrender. 

“I’m sorry,” he admitted. “Can we talk?”

“Not until you tell me where the kid is,” she said, arms crossed and unmoving, like nothing in the universe could make her sway.

“He’s gone with his people. I-I gave him up.” His voice cracked at the end.

Peli unfolded her arms and her gaze softened.

“You lost your little one?” she asked, not accusatory or combative like before.

Din simply nodded.

Peli strode up to him and wrapped her arms around his torso, her curly mess of hair just reaching the underside of Din’s helmet. After the surprise of the action wore off, Din wrapped his arms around the smaller woman. He wasn’t surprised by the tears leaking out the corner of his eyes this time.

“I’m sorry, hun. I know how hard that is,” she said.

“You do?” Din asked quietly.

Peli dropped her arms and pulled away. 

“Hard to find anyone one Tatooine who hasn’t lost someone important to them.”

An image of Cobb flashed through Din’s mind.

That’s right, he had a new mission. Din had lost Cobb and Cobb had lost him a long time ago. But he was here to fix that, to sew up old wounds. At least, that’s what he hoped this would accomplish.  
Peli took Din into the inner room of the hangar and the two of them sat and talked for what felt like hours. It was hard for Din to recount everything he had been through since he last left Tatooine, but Peli was patient and for once, quiet.

It was early morning by the time he had caught Peli up with how he had got there now. As the first of the twin suns started to rise, Peli just stared at him with her big inquisitive eyes.

“That’s...that’s a lot to take in, hun. But there’s something I’m still lost on.” 

“What would that be?” he asked her. He knew it was a lot, at least for folks who weren’t used to the bounty hunting lifestyle.

“After all of that, why did you decide to come back here? I mean, I’m sure you still have other Mandos out there who you could go to, and I’d be surprised if you came back just for some company with little ole me.” She ended her statement with a signature teasing smirk.

It made Din smile again. Funny how he’d been crying and smiling more in the last 24 hours than he had during most of his adult life.

“Well, I wouldn’t say that. I did want to come see you. I know the kid meant a lot to you too.” He hoped the sincerity came through in his voice.

Peli’s eyes took on a soft gaze again. Maybe she did believe him. 

“But there is something important I have to take care of back in Mos Pelgo. Something I should have taken care of a long time ago.”

“And what is that, dear?” she asked, again with no harshness. Just plain and genuine concern.

“Remember when you said that most folks on Tatooine have lost someone?” he asked her. She nodded with an inquisitive look.

“The Marshal that I met in Mos Pelgo.” Din felt himself get choked up. He realized that despite admitting it to himself, he hadn’t yet admitted out loud the promise he had broken. He had to be able to say it, or there was no chance of being able to face Cobb with the truth.

”We lost each other a long time ago. I found him by accident, but he didn’t know it was me. I was too much of a coward to tell him, but now I’ve come back to make it right.” Din took a shuddering breath as he finished his confession. Stars above, this was going to be harder than he thought.

Peli stared at him for a moment longer, then pushed herself up and out of her chair and walked over to a bin of what looked like scraps over on a desk. Din watched Peli rummage through the box as she cursed under her breath in Huttese.  
“Aha! There we go,” Peli exclaimed as she held up what looked like an ID tag and key for a speeder.

She tossed the tag to Din who caught it with practiced reflex. He looked down at the key. Then back up at Peli.

“Don’t look at me like that, Chrome Dome. What you need right now is closure, and what I need is to go back to sleep. Now I better not see a scratch on that speeder bike when you come back from seeing that Marshal of yours.” Peli’s voice was rough but her smile was big. 

Din couldn’t do anything but whisper a shaky, “Thank you.”

“Eh, think nothing of it. Now get out of here! I need to get back to my beauty sleep.”

Din now stared out at the expanse of sand before him, speeder bike engine humming as it sat at rest on the edge of Mos Eisley.

He took a deep breath. Well, here goes nothing. He hit the throttle and sped off into the desert.

The anxiety he felt made the ride out to Mos Pelgo felt longer than ever, but once Din saw the roofs of houses clear the horizon, he could have sworn the journey went by in the blink of an eye. His mind had been so preoccupied with what he would say once he got there, let alone what Cobb might say to him. Now, as he slowed his speeder to a crawl as he got closer to town, all of the words he thought to say on the journey escaped him.

It was around mid afternoon by the time Din had made it to Mos Pelgo. In the gleam of the twin suns, he could see how much the little town had changed. There were a few more homesteads and shops, a large water trough with a few banthas drinking their fill. Even the buildings themselves looked newer, sturdier. Din guessed that when you weren’t picking up the broken pieces of a town constantly shook by a dragon, you actually had time to improve and build up your town.

Still, the one thing that hadn’t changed since the first time he rode into town were the stares he received as he made his way down the main street. At least this time they were looks of pleasant surprise rather than fearful suspicion. He even received a few friendly waves from folks he recognized from the Krayt Dragon fight. It was odd to be warmly welcomed somewhere for a change, but it felt good.

The main road was busy and full of people so Din parked his speeder on a side street. He had no idea where Cobb would be this time of day, or even where he lived to try and meet him outside of his home. The thought of waiting around for Cobb like that filled him with another wave of anxiety. He needed something to ground him again, something that he could control and meet Cobb on his own terms. 

So Din decided to head for the cantina. He walked out onto the main road and started to make his way towards the place where he had finally found Cobb after so many years. Far be it from the universe to pass up a chance to remind Din who was in change.

He heard a fast approaching set of footsteps come up behind him. Instincts kicking in, Din grabbed for his blaster and was about to turn around to face the potential foe.

“Mando!”

Din froze. He wasn’t ready for this.

“Son of a Sarlacc, it is you! What blew you into town, partner?” Cobb Vanth’s cheerful drawl echoed through Din’s helmet. 

He felt an overwhelming mix of elation and despair pool in his chest and tug at his heart. This is what he came here for. Cobb is right behind him but he can’t kriffing move. 

“Hello in there. Is that tin can on too tight?” Cobb walked up next to him and gently tapped the side of his helmet. The steady tink tink of the beskar was enough to jolt Din out of his stupor. 

He turned to look at the man. Cobb now wore bronze durasteel armor in place of Boba’s old armor. It changed his frame to look wider than Din knew he really was. But it was still the same man standing before him. Same salt and pepper beard, same red scarf, same wide smile.

Same Cobb.

Din took a deep breath.

“Good to see you...Marshal.”

“Aw, come on now, Mando, we’re past formalities. Call me Cobb.” Cobb gave another wide smile. Din’s heart made another painful leap. 

Cobb’s eyes dropped from Din to the ground next to him, searching. His gaze popped back up to Din. He knew what question was coming.

“The Child isn’t with me,” Din spat out before Cobb could get the question past his lips. That didn’t stop the worried look that overtook his expression.

“Is he safe?” Cobb asked.

“Yes. At least, as safe as he can be,” Din replied

Cobb took a moment, his eyes searching the dark visor of Din’s helmet for any kind of give the cold facade would let loose. After a moment, Cobb's smile came back and he clapped Din on the shoulder.

“Well, nothing a tall glass of spotchka can’t soothe. Come on, I’m buying.” Cobb placed his hand firmly on the back of Din’s shoulder and started to walk him down the road towards the cantina. 

Din’s breath caught in his chest as the weight of Cobb's hand rested on his back, holding him gently. Suddenly, he was a child again, comforted just by the steady touch of the other boy. 

He could do this.

Din stopped in his tracks, causing Cobb to turn to look at him, waiting.

“I didn’t come here to drink,” he said simply. Why was it so hard to tell Cobb what he meant?

This made Cobb pause. He looked at Din quizzically.

“What are you here for then, partner? Anything I can help you with, just say the word.” Cobb offered to help so freely, so genuinely. That caring spirit of his was a big part of the reason Din loved him.

Oh.

That was a new one.

But something he would have to unpack another time. If you ever get the chance to, after he chases you away. When you tell him who you are, he won’t let you stick around long enough to figure this out.

Din pushed those thoughts aside. He didn’t have time for his own feelings. They didn’t matter. What mattered was telling Cobb the truth.

“I came here for you. I was hoping we could just...talk.” Din hoped his voice didn’t sound as shaky as he felt.

It was hard to tell through the tint of his visor but he could have sworn that a light blush dusted Cobb’s cheeks when he said this.

Cobb chuckled lightly. “Well I’ve always been a good listening ear, but why me? I’m sure there are other folks much easier to get to if you need to air out some of your sorrows.”

“Because you’re-” Din paused, thinking about how he was going to lead into this. “Because you’re my friend, Cobb.”

Cobb’s expression changed. He looked surprised, flustered almost. It made Din wonder what Cobb thought of their relationship after the Krayt Dragon. He was so consumed with his own feelings about the incident and seeing Cobb again after so many years that he never stopped to think about what Cobb thought of the whole experience. 

In his mind, this was the first time he had ever met Din. Did he consider him an ally after it was all said and done? Why didn’t Din stop and think about how the experience had affected Cobb?

So caught up in your own grief. Another way you let him down. Again.

Din didn’t try to quiet those thoughts this time. It was true. He just kept letting Cobb down.

“Can’t say I have the best track record with friends, but I’m honored nonetheless.” Cobb’s easy-going smile returned to his face. “Let’s head over to my place. I’ve got a spot for talkin’ and my own spotchka for sippin’. Win-win if you ask me.”

Din followed Cobb to his home. He smiled behind his helmet. Whatever happened next, whatever Cobb wanted of him after he told him the truth, Din would accept. Cobb would either thank him for his honesty and send him on his way, or he would tell him how much he hated him for breaking his promise. Din would feel his heart break again at the loss of another loved one, but in the end, his soul would feel lighter.

One more broken promise off his chest. Win-win indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Vor entye, ner vod,” - Thank you, my brother  
> “Ret'urcye mhi" - Goodbye  
> "Verd ori'shya beskar'gam" - A warrior is more than his armor.

**Author's Note:**

> The initial idea for this AU is credited to @fledgling here on AO3. Instead of being rescued by Mandalorian, Din is captured by slavers and grows up with Cobb. This is a fic based on that idea. Thanks to everyone on the DinCobb server for supporting this idea and encouraging me to post my first fic to AO3.


End file.
